The Balsz Governing Board has selected Dr. George Barnes as its next superintendent. Dr. Barnes will begin his new role on February 1, leading a district of approximately 2,400 pre kindergarten through 8th grade students and a faculty and staff of 260.
“We are very pleased to select Dr. Barnes as our superintendent and we look forward to working with him as he takes the helm of Balsz Elementary School District,” said Balsz Governing Board President Gail Knight. “We had three very strong finalists competing for the job, and in the end, Dr. Barnes’ breadth of experience and vision for the district really set him apart.”
Dr. Barnes has served in leadership roles in education for 15 of his 20 years in the profession. He has worked in Arizona as an administrator in schools at all levels and as a professor at the Arizona State University Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.
Recently, as an assistant superintendent at a school district in a St. Louis suburb adjacent to Ferguson, MO., Dr. Barnes helped address academic and social opportunity gaps by leading with a philosophy that schools are the epicenter of change, and he worked hand-in-hand with community partners to address the needs.
Dr. Barnes earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Butler University, a Masters of Education in School Administration from Indiana University and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix.